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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
McKenna Pulley
McKenna Pulley
63
Winner Northwest Mo. St. NMSU 10-10,5-6 Mid-America Intercollegiate
60
Central Okla. CentOK 15-6,9-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Northwest Mo. St. NMSU
10-10,5-6 Mid-America Intercollegiate
63
Final
60
Central Okla. CentOK
15-6,9-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Northwest Mo. St. NMSU 10 11 22 20 63
Central Okla. CentOK 8 16 20 16 60

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Bronchos Drop Close Battle To NWMSU

EDMOND (Feb. 1) – A 10-point third-quarter lead turned into a seven-point fourth-period deficit in the span of seven minutes and Central Oklahoma went on to drop a 63-60 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association decision to Northwest Missouri Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Field House.

UCO appeared to seize control of the game after going up 44-34 on Brooke Rayner's layup with 1:54 left in the third only to see the Bearcats hit three straight 3-pointers to get within one by the end of the period. NWMSU then outscored the Bronchos 12-4 to open the final stanza in going ahead 55-48.

Central battled back, but ultimately fell short. Head coach Guy Hardaker's crew fell to 15-6 on the season and 9-4 in the league.

"We didn't shoot the ball very well and just made too many mistakes," Hardaker said. "They hit some tough shots in the second half. It's a tough loss, but we can't dwell on it and just need to get ready for the next one."

The Bronchos shot just 33.8 percent (23-of-68) from the field and was just 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from 3-point range.

Kelsey Johnson led UCO with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Micayla Haynes was the only other player in double figures with 15 points to go along with six steals, while Jaci Littell chipped in eight points, six rebounds and three steals.

The Bronchos led 24-21 at halftime and then got seven points from Johnson in a 12-4 spurt that turned a 32-31 lead into the 44-34 cushion late in the third. NWMSU then buried long 3-pointers on three straight possessions go make it 44-43 heading to the fourth.

The Bearcats hit three more treys in going ahead 55-48 with 4:58 left and it was 58-50 at the 3:32 mark.

Central didn't go away, getting five points from Haynes and a Littell layup to get within 59-57 with just 33 seconds remaining. Haynes followed two NWMSU free throws with a long bomb from the wing to make it 61-60 at 0:11.

The Bearcats made two more foul shots with seven seconds left to go up 63-60 and Haynes' tying 3-point try with four ticks remaining was just off the mark.

Neither team could buy a bucket in a low-scoring first half that ended with UCO on top 24-21.

The Bronchos missed eight straight shots during one span in the first quarter, but trailed just 9-3 at that point and was down 10-8 after the opening 10 minutes. Aliyah Llanusa and Kaci Richardson opened the second period with back-to-back layups to put Central in the lead and the advantage grew to six at 20-14 on Johnson's layup at the 5:34 mark.

NWMSU reeled off seven unanswered points to move ahead 21-20 late in the half, but two Haynes free throws and a Lauren Chancellor layup after a Haynes steal gave the Bronchos their slim halftime lead.
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